


Back and Forth

by HopelessMasquerade



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Bad At Tagging, M/M, On Hiatus, Short Chapters, There isn't exactly NijiAka, but Nijimura worrying about his kouhai
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-27
Updated: 2015-10-14
Packaged: 2018-04-23 16:02:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4883068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HopelessMasquerade/pseuds/HopelessMasquerade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Nijimura comes back to Japan, he has no clue on what happened at Teiko, nor he knows about the multiple incidents that took place during his absence.</p><p>However, after learning about the Rakuzan team and its captain, he suspects that something might've happened.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've decided to take a break from all those KiriDaii drabbles and write something with good ol' Nijimura (and the Rakuzan kids).
> 
> Or, "Nijimura decides to investigate about the Teiko incident and it's worse than he expected".
> 
> (let's hope I don't fuck up too much) (also these chapters will be really short sorry)
> 
> English isn't my main language so expect a lot of grammatical murders.

When Nijimura came back to Japan, after staying in America for almost one year, he felt like as if he’d never been in Japan before. Of course, he only came back after making sure his fathers’ condition was stable and that his brothers would take care of him.

He would only stay in Japan for a month, so he wanted to make it a grateful and pleasant experience. Nijimura, however, had no clue where to start; he’d decided to stay over at his grandmother’s home during the entire month, and nothing else. His town was as simple as it could be and there wasn’t much to see after all. Just a small river and a bunch of souvenir shops.

Nijimura still remembered when he used to play basketball back at Teiko and was able to recall his teammates’ names and some nice moments he spent with them, but had no clue about what happened with them. Nobody told him about Akashi’s sudden change, nor about Teiko’s match against Meiko. Nobody had thought about calling Nijimura and telling him about how Teiko changed after he left. And there was no way he’d knew about that years’ Interhigh and Winter Cup.

…He didn’t, until he found a small article on a newspaper, which talked about a certain basketball club. Rakuzan, was it called. Said article stated that three of the so-called Uncrowned Kings had joined its first bench that year, and…

Their captain was  _nothing_  but a first year? Such a thing made him cackle. True was that he, Shuuzou Nijimura, became Teiko’s captain during his second year. Nijimura barely knew anything about Rakuzan, aside that it was one of Kyoto’s best schools and it seemed to have a strong basketball team. But, an insignificant first year leading the Emperors? No way!

There was no way something like that would happen.

That’s what he thought, until he decided to keep reading, hoping there was a logic explanation behind all of that.

And there was. While it didn’t seemed to be logic at all, it did surprise Nijimura, to the point he bent one of his eyebrows and pouted out of shock, having to re-read that paragraph constantly so he could get the message. While there was something he’d been expecting coming from that, he was surprised overall. 

Back then during his days at Teiko, he was aware of how talented some players were, specially a certain group of kids that would eventually overtake the team. Specially one of them, which caught Nijimura’s attention because of his astonishing talent and his quiet, polite personality. Along many other reasons, Nijimura’s respect towards that kid slowly grew and he thought said kid could lead Teiko’s team during his absence.

What he wasn’t expecting was, that said kid, named Seijuurou Akashi, was that first year. That very first year that became Rakuzan’s captain after barely joining the team. The same Akashi whom Nijimura had entrusted with the captain position back at Teiko.

How could something like that be possible? Nijimura was aware of Akashi’s immense talent and knew how of a wonderful player he was. That Akashi got to Rakuzan’s first bench wouldn’t have surprised him, but becoming that team’s captain right after joining? Nijimura hoped it was all just a big lie, but couldn’t stop reading over and over the paragraph.

“… _Seijuurou Akashi-kun, whom, during his first year, joined Rakuzan’s first bench and became the team’s captain, with the coach’s approval_ …”

At first, Nijimura thought that Rakuzan’s coach was either dumb or a wimp, but there was no way someone that coached such a strong and mighty team could be dumb. If anything, maybe that coach was aware of Akashi’s skills and decided that someone like him could lead Rakuzan.

There was a certain incident that took place after he graduated from Teiko, and not only he didn’t knew, but it seemed like nobody bothered to tell him, as they seemed to be afraid on how he would react towards it. He didn’t knew about Teiko’s last championship either.

If there was something Nijimura knew, however, is that something might’ve happened with Akashi for him to become Rakuzan’s captain so early. It may have to do with Akashi’s skills, but Nijimura eventually came to the conclussion that there really was something going on.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nijimura would be (and is) amazed upon the growth of his former kouhai.

Nijimura’s goal was simple: to find out what happened at Teiko during his absence in less than thirty days.

What Nijimura had to find out first, however, was which schools the ‘Miracles’ had decided to attend. Right now, he only knows that Akashi (or, 'Emperor’, as the article said) now attends the prestigious Rakuzan High School and its remarkable basketball team. On the other side, he had no idea about what happened with the other kids.

However, the fact that he only had thirty days to fulfil said goal made it worse. After those thirty days were over, he would have to go back to the United States, and only after 2 years he would be able to travel back to Japan.

Nijimura had no chance but to hurry up, but it would be useless if he just solved the incident. He would have to examine each bit of information very closely, and it so happens that Nijimura wasn’t any good when it comes to analysis.

Even though he used to lead one of the best middle school teams, Nijimura didn’t have an outstanding intelligence. Instead, he was kind of skilled at basketball, although he hadn’t played before joining Teiko’s basketball club. Nijimura too was able to perceive which players around him were talented, but it was Akashi the one that explained Kuroko’s skill to him.

Crap, not again. One of Nijimura’s flaws was that he tended to overthink too much, to the point his head began to hurt and he had to try and calm himself down. And it was happening once again.

His grandmother notices this, and instead of telling him to take a nap or relax, she tells Shuuzou to buy something for dinner. He doesn’t know why, but maybe going shopping might help him to cool off. Or he might get pissed while looking for the cheapest meat. It may sound simple, even stupid, but that’s everything Shuuzou’s grandmother can do for him at the moment. Even if Shuuzou explained it to her, she probably wouldn’t understand.

···

The market’s atmosphere doesn’t manage to cool down Nijimura a bit. There isn’t too many people at the supermarket, but Nijimura still feels rather overwhelmed, because he keeps asking himself that very question.

_What happened at Teiko during his absence?_

Nijimura clicks his tongue, sighing afterwards. He shouldn’t rush that much, since he has an entire month to find out. But that’s the very same reason he’s rushing and yearning to know about that incident. He lacks patience and that’s why he can’t totally focus on his goal. It was almost a paradox: he knew he didn’t have to hurry up, but he hurried up.

Slightly frowning, Nijimura heads to the drinks section, looking for some pineapple juice. He hasn’t even bothered to carry a cart, as he isn’t going to buy too much and he’ll do fine with just a bag. Nijimura decides to reach for one of the juice bricks, when he suddenly collides with someone. He whispers a small apology upon looking at him.

Said kid was incredibly tall, taller than Nijimura, and the boy couldn’t do anything but look up to him. Wearing a black school uniform, with green hair that merely covered his eyebrows, he’s looking at Nijimura as if he recognized him.

Nijimura notices this, and raises an eyebrow upon picking up a brick.

-What, do you have some business with me?

He doesn’t want to sound any rude, but it’s thanks to his personality that he ends up sounding rather rude. The kid keeps an undifferent expression upon his question.

-…Nijimura-san? - He raises his glasses, and his sudden response manages to impress Nijimura.

Shintarou Midorima, known as the Generation of Miracles’ 3-Point Shooter. Shopping at a small, shabby supermarket, looking for his lucky item of the day, 340-Yen yakisoba. The very first thing Nijimura notices from him is that he grew up quite a bit. The green-haired midget he used to train with at Teiko was now a 195cm-tall student, still obsessed with horoscopes and luck-related stuff.

Nijimura hasn’t made a weirder expression on his whole life. If Midorima grew up that much, who knows what might’ve happened with the other kids?

Thinking about it, Midorima probably knows what happened at Teiko. In fact, he does know, and he’s the one that stayed faithful to himself. Nijimura would love to ask him, but that’s not the right moment. They just bumped into each other and Nijimura is still trying to assimilate what just happened.

So he shows a tiny smile, rather annoyed at the same time and picks up another brick from the shelf.

-Hey, it’s been quite a while, Midorima.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nijimura tries to talk with Midorima. Yes, he tries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've added a few things.
> 
> There isn't exactly NijiAka. The ship is *referenced* multiple times, but it's mostly Nijimura worrying about his old kouhai, plus the entire Emperor stuff. It could be considered Nijimura/Teiko, but yeah.
> 
> Also, I don't know how long this will be. I'd like to keep it short, but we'll see.
> 
> (Tell me if there's any grammatical murder.)

Nijimura had learned, from the years he spent both in middle school and America, that rushing things wasn’t healthy at all. It only added to his already existing stress and made it harder for him to focus on his ongoing tasks.

Back then, he had to struggle with numerous issues regarding both his school life and his personal life. Nijimura sometimes had thought about giving up, but that would’ve only made him a coward, and he didn’t want to become a coward. So he decided to confront all of that, no matter how hard it became.

On the other side, his current situation is really different from the one that he went through back then. Right now he doesn’t have to deal with many issues, nor there’s something going on with his family. He’s just trying to uncover whatever had happened at Teiko during his absence. There’s no need for him to rush it, as he still has nearly four weeks to unravel it.

And now it seems easier for Nijimura to fulfil his goal, as he’s met someone that probably knows the answer.

···

-It’s been such a long time, eh, Midorima? - Nijimura gently patted Midorima’s shoulder. The fact that he managed to reach it is incredible, even to Nijimura himself. - You’re still collecting those… - Nijimura hesitated for a moment, containing his laughter. - Horoscope things?

The taller boy gave him a slightly annoyed look, frowning an eyebrow and cleared his throat. Nijimura pouted, wondering why his old kouhai behaved in such a cold and distant way. From Teiko he learned that the green-haired shooting guard had a rather serious personality, but he never expected him to become such a sharp individual.

-It’s a lucky item, Nijimura-san. - He lifts up his glasses. - Today, Cancer has ranked 9th at Oha-Asa, and since we share the same sign, I’d recommend you to get a small cup of noodles too.

Nijimura never understood why Midorima cared so much for those dumb horoscopes and gave him a weird look, half-smiling.

-I see… You haven’t changed at all. - He chuckles, exiting the market along Midorima. He’s waiting for the right moment to bring up the topic he wants to talk about, in a way both him and Midorima can talk about it. - If anything, you went to… Shingoku, I think? Is there such a-

- _Shuutoku_. I went to Shuutoku. They have a pretty strong basketball club, and nice facilities. Plus, it’s kind of close to my home, yet, - he frowned, kind of ashamed of what he was about to say - I still need him to go.

Him? The very first thought that came to Nijimura’s head was that Midorima managed to befriend someone and walked to school along that person, and it kind of made him happy. Reality was way too different, though.

The sudden chit-chat was only making it harder for Nijimura to find the right moment. It helped him relax, though, and it was always nice to share a small talk with his former kouhai. Even though Midorima wasn’t really paying attention to it.

-Guess that’s good. 

There was someone else Nijimura wanted to talk with about the entire Teiko incident. But, first, it would be nice to ask Midorima. Nijimura hoped he had some interesting information about it.

-If anything, Midorima… - The green-haired boy turned to him, unaware of the rickshaw that was parked in front of them. - Y'know, did something happen while I wasn’t at Tei-

A rather loud scream could be heard. Said scream surprised Nijimura, and he had no choice but to cut off his speech, as Midorima would probably not hear him.

Midorima clicked his tongue, turning to the small, black haired boy that was running up to him, much to Nijimura’s surprise. Nijimura had no clue on what was going on, and he thought it could be Midorima’s friend. Still, he couldn’t help but pout in annoyance when his speech was interrupted by some weird screaming kid.

Said screaming kid ran up to Midorima, stopping right in front of both him and Nijimura. Midorima sighed, still not used to the boys’ sudden appearances.

-Man, you totally left me behind! I know you wanted to buy that dumb horoscope thing you wanted, but c'mon. It was just traffic, Shin-chan!

Midorima sighed at Takao’s. As much as he wanted to take part on their sudden conversation, Nijimura decided to keep quiet and show some manners. He didn’t exactly feel like talking, though.

-Takao, - Midorima lifted his glasses again, typing something down on his phone - my horoscope ranked 9th today. Don’t you know what it means?

-That you should chill with that horoscope thing? - Takao’s expression softened and he chuckled, much to Midorima’s annoyance. - It’s ridiculous! You’re like a granny, Shin-chan!

Nijimura had to agree with Takao; he, too, found Midorima’s obsession with horoscopes as something rather weird coming from just a student. He decided to stay away from their conversation, until Takao looked firmly at him. Takao’s sharp gaze and his bright, silver eyes, were enough to dazzle Nijimura, and said man knew he had to say something.

-Guess I’ll have to introduce myself… - Nijimura saw some kind of similarity between Takao and Kise, one of his old kouhai. - I’m Nijimura, and back in the day, I used to watch over this big guy over here, and more weird kiddos. Annoying or not, they won a lot of matches, and that’s what matters.

Takao almost laughed out loud when Nijimura referred to Midorima as “this big guy”. Midorima, on the other side, remained serious, and almost realized what Nijimura wanted to talk about.

He cleared his throat, interrupting the small guys’ conversation, and fixed his gaze on Nijimura.

-We’ll talk later, Nijimura-san. - Such a sudden way to finish a conversation. Midorima then turned to Takao and raised his voice. - Let’s go, Takao. Your horoscope ranked worse than mine, hence we’re going to find your lucky item.

Without saying anything else, Midorima headed to the rickshaw, and Takao felt the need to apologize to Nijimura because of his friends’ weird behavior.

Nijimura could do nothing but stand there. He didn’t get to talk with Midorima at all -mostly because of Takao suddenly showing up and interrupting them-, but it was good to know that one of his kouhai was doing well. Nijimura still had to find out about the others -and boy will  he be surprised once he does-, but for now, all he had to do was to keep calm before the situation.

Before all of that, Nijimura recalled that he had to buy things for dinner.

Maybe there was another kid he could talk to, and maybe Nijimura could get a proper response coming from him.


End file.
